Mayor, Ward 2 councilman retain positions

It's all over. It's all over.The voters have spoken and Hannibal Mayor Roy Hark and Second Ward councilman Michael Dobson will remain in their respective positions for another term.

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By DOMINIC GENETTIdominic.genetti@courierpost.com@DominicGenetti

Hannibal Courier - Post - Hannibal, MO

By DOMINIC GENETTIdominic.genetti@courierpost.com@DominicGenetti

Posted Apr. 3, 2013 at 10:12 AM
Updated Apr 3, 2013 at 10:26 AM

By DOMINIC GENETTIdominic.genetti@courierpost.com@DominicGenetti

Posted Apr. 3, 2013 at 10:12 AM
Updated Apr 3, 2013 at 10:26 AM

It's all over. It's all over.

The voters have spoken and Hannibal Mayor Roy Hark and Second Ward councilman Michael Dobson will remain in their respective positions for another term.

"I'm extremely happy," Hark said at his victory celebration at the Hannibal Nutrition Center. "I'm looking for a lot of good things to happen in the next three years in the City of Hannibal. We've got a strong council and hopefully with my leadership we will continue to move forward. We'll all work together as we have."

"I'm relieved," Dobson added. "I did what I did last time, and that's get out and go door to door, talk to the people. That's where you get your votes at — helping them with some of their problems and listening to their concerns."

Hark accumulated 74.99 percent of the votes with at total of 1,598. Mayoral candidate Lou Barta finished with 20.60 percent of the votes totalling 439 and candidate Monica Williams earned 4.22 percent of the vote with a total of 90. There were four write-in votes which was 0.19%.

"It was interesting to actually see some results coming on the TV as opposed to waiting for the total, which is the norm. The biggest disappointment was in total turnout. We were presuming we'd have more in the 3,000, 3,500 range. That was really a sad surprise to us tonight," Barta said. "I'm not going away. I said that a year ago, and obviously still here. We know that there are a huge number of people in our city that are very unhappy with the way things have been. Unfortunately, we didn't educate enough people and we didn't motivate enough people."

"Lou Barta, he didn't do nothing but talk in a circle," Williams added. "I wasn't mad from the start, it was all to make people come to the polls."

Dobson's lone opponent Jennifer Foster could not be reached for comment.

As for the victors, they have plans in store for their next terms.

"We are in the process of trying to strengthen our codes and ordinances, to put more bit into them," Hark said. "My major goal would try to increase economic development."

"I want to become more involved," Dobson said, " I want to become more involved with what's going on with jobs in Hannibal. It's jobs. It's the infrastructure. It's utility rates. You name it. It's finishing what we started down on Main Street."